Mr Birling
- Created by: Elle
- Created on: 30-05-14 16:19
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- Mr Birling
- Characteristics
- wannabe upper class
- "heavy looking and portentous"-self important
- self centred
- pleased about the engagement, for his business
- during the speech, he is just focusing on his business and not the wedding
- strongly capitalist
- "a man has to make his own way"
- "look after his own"
- believes everything can be sorted with money and status
- deliberately talks about the Chieft Constable to threaten the Inspector
- "I'd give thousands' to be able to sort out the problems
- Not approachable or loving just cares about business
- Eric describes him as 'not the kind of chap a man could turn to when he's in trouble
- describes himself as a 'hard headed business man'
- he is very proud
- He is very aware of his social class and that he is below Gerald's family and is quite embarrassed
- narrow-minded and set on his views
- 'I refused of course' can't see why anyone would think what he did to Eva was wrong
- Purpose in the play
- to show the opposite of Priestly's views (Capitalism)and to Birling's character allows him to prove it wrong by using dramatic irony
- Birling makes very wrong predictions for the titanic claiming it is 'unsinkable' and claiming that a war won't occur, Priestly does this at the beginning to almost make a disclaimer that all he says is untruthful because of course the audience will know that all of these predictions are utter nonsense and untrue.
- He represents the older generation
- Upper class, although not born into it
- He acts as a contrast to Sheila and Eric's feeling of responsibility
- does not care about Eva's death, does not feel responsible simple feels worried about his knighthood
- to show the opposite of Priestly's views (Capitalism)and to Birling's character allows him to prove it wrong by using dramatic irony
- Characteristics
- "heavy looking and portentous"-self important
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